CONSDERING the current exchange rate of Naira to a dollar, a strong indication has emerged that labour may up its demand for new minimum wage to N110,000; as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Labour Congress (TUC), are no more satisfied with the N56,000 demand presented to the government over a year ago.
With the exchange rate of N365 to a dollar, the N56,000 demand presented to the present administration before the May Day celebration in 2016, is now less than$50 per month; and the belief in labour circle at present is that $50 is grossly inadequate for a worker with children to cope for a month, without involving himself in huge and gross corrupt practices.
Deputy President of NLC Comrade Peters Adeyemi, who is also the leader of the Organised Labour Technical and Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage, said the issue of the minimum wage has now become a matter of life and death to workers and the labour leaders.
Comrade Adeyemi, while speaking with Tribune Online in Abuja, expressed anger on the deliberate delay by the government on the issue and emphasized that the present economic situation, inflation and the exchange rate of Naira to major currencies in the world has eroded the value of what labour movement presented to government over a year ago.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige, said while addressing journalists at the just concluded 106th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva that the Tripartite Minimum Wage Committee, that will negotiate the minimum wage and arrived at agreed new wage will be “constituted in a forthright.”
However, labour is no longer satisfied with the N56,000 demand earlier tabled before the government, and there is a huge possibility that labour will have a change of mind and increase its demand to N110,000.
Comrade Adeyemi pointed out that if labour movement were to present its demand now, it would “probably present double” of N56,000.
Definitely, he said, “N56,000 will not be our demand,” if the demand is made at present in the face of the present economic reality.
The NLC deputy president said: “Those of us in the labour movement, this issue of minimum wage are critical for us. It is about life and death. N18,000 as of today cannot buy you anything.
“If Nigeria labour movement is going to present a new demand today, definitely the N56,000 will not be our demand. Probably, we would have been asking for double of that because the situation has changed drastically from the time we made the submission and now. The cost of everything has gone up.”
Adeyemi added: “For us in the in the movement, if we are to make that demand right now, that clearly is not going to be labour’s demand. In Nigeria today, 56,000 is clearly not what any Nigerian can survive on.
“Labour is convinced that N56,000 minimum wage is doable. It is doable in the sense that when u put all the indices and parameters in place, you find out that N50,000 cannot give a comfortable life to an average worker in a month.
“Let us look at what we are talking about, we are talking about a workers who has children, he has to pay school fees, healthcare and has other dependants. The cost of drugs and food stuff has tripled since the last minimum wage law was passed in 2011.
“I have said severally that you also need to put into consideration even the worth of our currency, the Nauru which government policies have bastardized. I have said again and again that those in government don’t want to pay good salaries so that they will have enough to steal.
“If Nigerian workers are well paid, some of these surpluses that are being looted won’t be there. You find today, with all the efforts of the current administration, under President Buhari that the anti corruption agencies have unearth so much startling revelations of massive stealing and looting of our treasury.
“Is it not mind boggling that you find a situation where people have amassed so much wealth that they have to abandon them in place they cannot visit and whereas an average Nigerian worker is suffering and wallowing in abject poverty?
“I keep on challenging our elites and the ruling class, when they talk that N56, 000 is not payable, ask them, some of the wine they take, how much does it cost? Our ruling elite must not steer up crisis.
“They must not take Nigerian workers for granted for too long; because if push the suffering masses to the wall, they are going to turn back and face you.”
He said the issue of minimum will be a key factor in deciding the 2019 elections, adding that
“This N56,000 minimum wage will determine who gets elected and re-elected again. The time of reckoning is drawing nearer. Maybe by this time next year, they will start another round of campaign and promises. Nigerian workers will not fold arm and go and vote again for people who don’t put their interest at heart.
“It will not be possible. Nigerian workers will take their destiny into their hands. And we are going to use these statements they are making now to determine their fate. Any governor who says N56,000 is not payable and he cannot pay salaries is hanging his own neck and the neck of the candidate his political party will present.
“Nigerian workers will vote against anti-progressives elements who want to go back to government house. Those who do not have the interest of Nigerian workers at heart, who want to enslave Nigerian workers, will not smell the government house.”
and then